Bishop Auckland Boxing Club is celebrating after becoming the first project in County Durham to benefit from a joint funding programme between Sported, the UK’s largest Sport for Development charity, and County Durham Community Foundation (CDCF).
The two organisations, both of which are dedicated to helping communities grow by creating opportunities and tackling issues of disadvantage and exclusion, joined forces in December 2013 to increase support to local grassroots projects in County Durham and Darlington, which use sport to transform the lives of disadvantaged young people.
Thanks to Sported and CDCF’s joint funding programme, Bishop Auckland Boxing Club has secured a £2,000 grant to purchase new equipment in order to help more local young people into positive sports activities.
Based on Woodhouse Estate, the Boxing Club provides positive diversionary activities for young people in the local community. Through the sport of boxing the club teaches young people important life-skills, such as focus, discipline and respect, and improves their health and well-being through physical exercise and information about diet and nutrition. Session costs are deliberately kept low to make it accessible to all.
John Jimminson, Coach at Bishop Auckland Boxing Club, said, “Thanks to the grant from Sported and County Durham Community Foundation we have the opportunity to buy some new equipment for the gym. The fact that money is being invested into the club sends a really positive message to all our young boxers and we take great pride in knowing that other organisations value our work and are willing to invest money to safeguard the club’s future.”
Bishop Auckland Boxing Club welcomes new members to their Wednesday and Friday Sessions and has a Facebook page with more information on their activities.
For more information on how to apply for a grant, contact Sandra Hillyard at Sported at s.hillyard@sported.org.uk.
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
